How It Is Always Natsume's Problem In The End
by rainypromise
Summary: HIATUS his first series of this collection one is actually titled How It is..In the End-Talking About IT. Wouldn't it be funny if Natsume and the boys had to explain about the birds and the bee's to an oblivious Mikan?
1. Nothing Good

**How It Is Always Natsume's Problem In The End Series-Talking About 'IT'**

**Chapter One: **

**Nothing Good Can Come Out of A Meeting with Hotaru Imai Without Mikan**

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, storyline, yes.

A/N: Reviews please…thank you for reading my story.

Anyway, hm, if anyone is offended about eleven year olds talking about sex, uh, sorry, but I mean, in my neighborhood, kids pretty much know about it...so...well, I apologize. That's all. Please don't flame me. Besides, this will be clean..

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He didn't know how he got himself into this situation. Maybe, it was because he was a stinking bastard in his past life and the Gods felt that it wasn't enough that he _was _in a situation like this, but he had to be in it with the last person he wanted to be in it with..if you know what I mean.

He knows, first hand, that there are worse things in the world and he can think of several that he, himself had done but, right now, it was all he can do not to just stand up, scream the top of his head off, then burn the school down until all that was left were ashes. Especially as wet, drenched amber eyes looked up at him, lips trembling and shoulders hunched.

_Even her damn pigtails looked sad._

He clenched his teeth until it squeaked and swore so impressively inside his head, his brain flinched at his choice of words. He didn't know why he was surprise, he should've known that when it comes to the little baka girl, normal is nowhere near where they usually end up but he couldn't help to curse the day he laid eyes on her and her witchy best friend.

Hotaru Imai alone never bothered him until SHE came. In his mind, he remembered how cleanly and how ruthless she was in luring him into her trap, violet eyes gleaming sneakily at him even if the rest of her face was as flat as her voice. He can't help but feel a certain admiration on how her mind works but right now, he cursed the air blue at her very existence.

When he heard Mikan hiccuping his name, looking so hopeful and pitiful and so goddamn cute, Natsume pinched the bridge of his nose, aware of the nagging pain in his head. _Probably from bursting a vein._

He shifted on his sofa, trying to get comfortable but knowing there isn't a snowball chance in hell that can ever happen considering the topic that he was going to discuss.

Kami-sama, he was eleven, he had no business talking about something like this, especially to a girl. Well, maybe he did and it wasn't like he didn't understand about the said topic and Kami knows that it wasn't like he lacked the chances to do it, he just lacked the will, because unfortunately, he was stuck..on HER.

He sipped his coke, the bubbles tickling his throat and hoped desperately that he choked on it so he didn't have to do this. He put the soda can down gently on the coffee table because he wanted so badly to brain himself for agreeing to do this and for falling for the girl who was sitting, all curled up with her legs folded under her at the other end of the sofa. Her sweet, sweet face bunched up in confusion and he found himself, once again, questioning his sanity and his set of morals for even thinking about someone so freakin' dense and innocent.

Him, Natsume Hyuuga a.k.a Kuroneko, the most feared and sought after Alice user in the whole damn academy falling for the single star nobody, his partner for a year now, a girl who forced her way into his life and wormed her way into his heart without even breaking a sweat.

It was mortifying.

Stuck on Mikan Sakura, the loudest, most obnoxious girl in the Academy and now, here he was, trapped with the snivelling baka in his bedroom of all places, trying to explain the finer points… of sex.

"Look, youjo," He started, faltered, swallowed, then begin again. "It's like this.."

**Four Hours Ago**

"You want me to do _what_?" Natsume almost goggled at the girldroid, Imai Hotaru, though the only thing that betrayed his usual cool expression was the slight widening of his eyes. They were all at Bear-san's place after she called in an emergency meeting which usually doesn't need Natsume's presence, but after waking up at his usual hangout, the Sakura Tree, with the barrel of her baka gun pressing against his head, he realized that this time, his presence was required.

Hotaru's icy violet eyes swept across the table, watching the reaction that ran across the faces of each and every one of them.

The general reaction was outright shock.

The individual reaction however…was more interesting.

Koko's shock was layered with disbelief and a mean sort of glee, probably because he already read her mind, knew what she was thinking but didn't really think that she would actually say it. The glee was probably because, when it comes to Natsume and Mikan, it was a sure bet that things will get very interesting, very quickly.

Yuu's shock was mixed in with embarassment and gloom, already deciding that this is going to end badly.

Ruka's shock was mixed in with dismay, disbelief, discomfiture, awkwardness, jealousy with a pinch of relief. Probably because he knows that Natsume will probably end up doing it in the end, anyway.

Natsume however, was more difficult to read though not impossible, but as far as Hotaru can tell, whatever he felt changed into suspicioun in a blink of an eye.

"I don't know why all of you look so surprise, didn't any of you catch her reaction in sex-ed?" Her jewel-like eyes glinting in the sunlight.

The academy, thinking that they are already at the age where curiosity plus hormones equals trouble, managed a little seminar from class to class, teaching them about sex. Today, it was B class turn. Hotaru thought that it was a good idea, and the speaker wasn't the prim and prissy type, he didn't quote any scripture and made it look like having sex was a sin. Of course he did make sure that although it was perfectly natural for them to feel curious about sex, they should also know just precisely what can or will happen before, during and after sex.

She had to hand it to him, he took 'a picture paints a thousand words' to a whole new level. Which is why they were in this predicement in the first place, since instead of enlightened, Mikan was freaked.

The blunt question delivered with her toneless voice made the guys winced as they remembered their own reaction to it.

"I told you to bail her out of it, didn't I? To say she's sick or something." Natsume gulped down the hot tea, not caring about the damage he's doing to his tongue.

Hotaru clucked her tongue. "She's eleven. She needs to learn about this, just because she's not having sex anytime soon does not excuse her from being ignorant about such things. She needs to understand that even at this age, there are certain things that she can say or do that can be misinterpreted and get her into trouble, so when something _does _happen, she will recognize it and take the appropriate steps to deal with it."

"You're worrying too much, Imai." Natsume shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Thinking about Mikan and sex at the same time made him twitchy, apparently, he wasn't the only one. Yuu coughed. "Natsume-san is right, Hotaru-san. I think it's too soon for Mikan-chan to learn such things, she's much too.."

"Stupid." Natsume cut him off, uninterested and wanting this conversation to be over. "She's a kid. No one will look at her that way."

Hotaru sipped her tea and watched Natsume over the rim. Even if she wasn't a genius, and inspite of every body's growing suspiciouns whether she was truly human or not, she only needed to be a girl to recognize the look in Natsume's face that sometimes slipped out of his arrogant mask whenever he was looking at Mikan or to understand why he treats Mikan the way he does; with warm indiferrence and cool posessiveness. It explains why that while it is okay for Natsume to touch, manhandle, tease and make Mikan cry, it is not okay for anybody else to so much as make her break a nail.

It amused her to no end to watch the usually cool, untouchable and indifferent Natsume falling for her oblivious, dense, but strong-willed and lovable best friend. To watch his frustrated attempts to get as far away as he possibly can, only to end up closer to her than he was before. Some times, she felt sorry for him, because she can see how hard he is struggling with his feelings and because she knows and appreciates the reasons behind it.

And because she also knows how useless and hopeless his attempts are.

She should know, she'd been there once.

Mikan had stripped them of their carefully built walls, breached their defenses and inserted herself stubbornly into both their hearts.

Even though Natsume had a weird way of showing it which is probably because he has no intention of showing it at all in the first place, Hotaru knew he cared and will do anything for Mikan, including setting himself as far away as he can from her at the cost of his own heart and happiness.

They were alike that way.

That's why, she knew which buttons to push, the correct bait to dangle and the exact words to say.

"A sempai approached her not too long ago."

The four boys jerked their chairs back when Ruka's cup slipped from his fingers and hot tea splashed on the table.

"Go..gomen. Bear-san, gomen nasai..ano..arigatou." He bowed towards Mr. Bear who showed up out of nowhere, cleaned the mess up and got Ruka a clean cup. When he finished, all of them, including Hotaru and Natsume, bowed in thanks and respect to appease the psychotic bear's temper. They watched the gleam in his eyes for a tense minute before he finally walked away to sweep his porch.

Hotaru reached for a cookie, intentionally stretching out the silence. "Anyway, where was I?"

"The sempai." Ruka muttered and as she took a bite then nodded.

"Right, he approached her. He's fifteen."

"You're lying." Natsume narrowed his eyes at her, tea forgotten, a cookie ending up as dust in his clenched fist. Yuu and Koko eyed it warily.

"Why should I lie about this? It doesn't do me any good."

He actually knew she wasn't lying but one can hope, and just to make sure, Natsume glanced sideways at Koko who nodded, "She's not lying."

"If you don't trust me, you can ask Konoko and Anna, they were also there."

"But..but why did he do that?" This innocent question came out of none other than Ruka, not realizing at all of the insult he just paid to his first crush.

Hotaru lifted a brow. "I'll make sure to tell Mikan that you said that."

He blinked at the slight sarcasm in Hotaru's voice, then blushed. "I didn't mean to…it's just that, he's fifteen. Why..what does he want with…"

"A flat-chested, barbaric, screech loving, polka-dots wearing, baka like her?" Natsume continued, red ruby eyes flashing dangerously.

Violet eyes stared calmly back. "Don't you mean 'not so flat-chested, barbaric, screech loving, polka-dots wearing baka'? Don't tell me that you haven't notice because then you would be lying."

Only Natsume was able to glare at her though a tinge of pink flared on his cheek for a couple of seconds, the others were blushing madly and busily looking elsewhere.

"She's been having her periode-" She ignored the choking and anguish groan of male voices, "for as long as three months now, she's taller and her curves are starting to fill out. Mikan may not be as feminin as Anna or as smart as Konoko or as confident as Sumire-"

"Or as pretty as you."

Eyes swerved towards Yuu who was beaming at Hotaru, always supportive of his fellow classmates. Knowing that he was earnest and that he didn't mean anything by it, Hotaru allowed a small smile to grace her features which made the others blink. "But her looks are not hopeless, neither one of you can blink when she smiles or look away when she sets her big amber eyes at you. You guys can hardly say no whenever she tilts her head and give you puppy dog eyes. It's impossible to find a girl as sweet, as lovable, as caring, as trusting and as charming as Mikan. It will take no time at all for guys to start noticing her good qualities and flock all over her."

"So, what does that have to do with us?" Yuu asked carefully.

Hotaru put down her cup and half eaten cookie. "Lets, just humor me, imagine Mikan traipsing along Central Town alone. Picture her big shining eyes, her infectious smile, her long curling pig tails swinging behind her as she gazed in pure ecstasy of her surroundings." From the smiles that appeared on their faces, Hotaru knew that their imaginary Mikan was doing its work. _That was fast._

Yuu's smile was indulgent and kind. Koko's was grinning, Hotaru knows why Koko likes to hang around Mikan, it's because being close to her nullifies his Alice, leaving only himself inside his head and even if she'd slipped, her thoughts are pretty much happy and..safe. Ruka's smile was shy and sweet while Natsume was frowning but a small reluctant smile curved his lips but it was his eyes that betrayed him most. The look in them was soft, warm and sweetly sad.

"As she looked around in total frenzy like she always does every time we go there, suddenly a stranger walked to her. He was wearing all black; a black hat that covered his face, a black cape that covered his body and a weird and menacing black aura about him. What do you think she will do?"

"Avoid him." Answered Yuu Tobita, the smartest kid in their class and the B class president. He should've known better.

Koko pursed his lips, "Throw the chilli bom that I just gave her at him."

"..Run away?"Ruka petted his Usagi-chan, his eyes still distant, probably is still trying to imagine what the stranger looks like.

At this point Natsume had a vein popping on his forehead. "Ask him if he isn't feeling hot since he was wearing so much and offers him a drink as she sits down with him in a cool secluded place." All eyes snapped towards him, his answer earning him a slight smile from Hotaru.

Yuu opened his mouth, eager to defend his best friend but then hesitated as he considered Mikan's helpful nature. "She wouldn't.."

Koko sweat dropped, and weakly said, "Even Mikan isn't that…"

Ruka bit his lip. Usagi-chan dropped its head to its paws.

"Without even appearing to move his lips, he introduced himself as 'I-am-a-strange-man-a-stranger-to-you-hence-someone-you-cannot-trust. He also says, 'I have plenty boxes of Hawalons (fluffpuffs) in my car, if you help me take it out, you'll be given five boxes free.' What do you think she'll say?" Hotaru continued her test.

Yuu blinked nervously, Koko opened and closed his mouth, Ruka paled and Usagi-chan's lips trembled while Natsume rubbed his eyes.

"The same senior that approached her, approached her again and asked whether she wants to come to his room later on tonight for some fun…"

"OH MY GOD! MIKAN!!!!!"

Bear-san brought Hotaru a new cup filled with hot tea and she thanked him with a rare smile, when the bear tapped her softly on the back, she could've sworn she heard him laugh.

"Hm. Lavender tea." She sipped her tea as she watched the three boys who bolted like they were being chased by the hounds of hell towards the academy, all the while screaming her bestfriend's name.

In their mind, Mikan was facing the faceless sempai, beaming at him cutely and with barely contained excitement, opened her mouth to say 'OK. What time?'.

The image of her hopping towards the sempai's room, her pig tails bouncing, humming a silly song, her hands filled with board games…happy, sweet, innocent…

"SHEEP!!!SHE IS SHEEP!!!! WAITING TO BE DEVOURED!!!" Yuu's horrified scream echoed towards the mountains and skies as they picked up their pace.

Hotaru eyed the last remaining boy who was gently pressing two fingers against his temple in light circling motions. He finally stood, scowled at her then jumped to a nearby tree, muttering 'damn baka youjo' under his breath.

Hotaru lightly skimmed her slim elegant fingers above the plate of cookie, picked one and nibbled lightly. "You're welcome."


	2. Four Guys and Two Girls

**How It Is Always Natsume's Problem in the End Series-Talking About 'IT'**

**Chapter Two: Four Guys and Two Girls **

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, storyline, yes.

A/N: Reviews please…thank you for reading my story. Anyway, this story is not really about sex, but about how a girl should act more carefully around boys after puberty. And we all know what Mikan is like, don't we? Too trusting for her own good.

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Hotaru's face was actually showing signs of irritation.

Ruka was looking up at the sky, asking for divine intervention.

Koko was rolling on the ground, laughing himself silly.

Natsume had given up an hour ago. Now he was lying on the grass, a manga covering his face.

"How many times is he going to use the flower and bee analogy? Enough with the stupid pollen thing. Isn't he supposed to be smart?"

Ruka winced at the sharpness of Hotaru's voice, but the amused look stayed in his eyes. "Well, you have to admit it's pretty smart the way he manipulated the conversation so he can use that analogy over and over and over and over and over.."

Koko choked on a piece of grass that an annoyed Usagi-chan stuffed in his mouth to stop him from laughing.

"Urusai."

THWACK!

Natsume grinned when Koko ended up face down on the ground, twitching with pain after Hotaru hit him with a portable baka swatter.

"Thanks.." His voice was muffled by black soil.

"You know, I just realized something, you're a mind reader, but Hotaru always manage to hit you. What's up with that?" Ruka nibbled on a long strand of grass as he watched Yuu wiped sweat off his brow.

Natsume snorted, "Probably because growing up with the baka made her hitting compulsions into a reflex that she doesn't even need to think before doing it anymore."

THWACK!

Hotaru narrowed her eyes when her swatter only hit air but she turned back to her tilted his head, observing how Yuu kept taking off his glasses and wiping it with a handkerchief. "And yet, she's never been able to hit you."

Natsume returned to his position earlier. "That's because _my_ reflex is avoiding people who are trying to hurt me."

"Urusai. Yuu's finally on to something." Hotaru tweaked something on her panda-like cell phone and hit on speaker.

After careful negotiations on who goes first which really meant that the other three boys told Mikan that Yuu wanted to talk to her, they contacted Hotaru and asked her for spying gear, but distrustful of anyone but herself on handling her inventions, she insisted on coming along.

So here they were, behind some bushes at the school grounds, watching Mikan and Yuu talk under a tree on a nearby bench like a young couple enjoying their first date.

Hotaru elbowed Ruka hard on the ribs. "Don't touch the merchandise. This is a new prototype, I'm going to sell it tomorrow."

"I can't hear a thing. Turn up the volume." He hissed at her. Koko exchanged an amused look with Natsume.

"…Mikan-san, what I wanted to say is, you shouldn't be too trusting." Yuu blinked when Mikan looked crestfallen. "Not that trusting is wrong, it's not bad, it's actually quite good. It's a good quality in you and I admire it. But..but..I mean it _is_ good and it's fine if the one you trust is a good person." Realizing that he was starting to lose his train of thought, he coughed and took off his glasses again. He was sweating pretty profusely, so his glasses started to get all misty.

_How did I get myself into this?_ A flash of violet appeared in his mind. _Oh, yeah. Hotaru-san._ He ran a finger under his collar and cursed.

Behind the bushes, Koko started and grinned. "Whoa."

Ruka and Natsume looked at him. "What?"

"Our class president just cursed." He lifted a brow. "He's actually pretty creative."

Remembering the haunted house a year ago, Natsume scoffed. "I knew that all that goody toe-shoes behavior is just an act."

"What I mean is-" Yuu ran a damp hand through his hair. "After puberty, guys tend to be a bit aggressive and they will want certain things from you and sometimes some of them will not care whether you'd be willing to give those... things or not."

Hotaru pursed her lips and nodded sagely. "Keep going, Tobita."

Natsume leaned back on the grass and put a manga on his head, thinking that maybe this time, he didn't have to do anything after all.

"So, you really have to be careful around guys and don't believe everything they say just like that 'cause there are guys that will lie to…" _OH MY GOD!_

Natsume jumped at the inhuman-like high keening sound that came out of the panda-like device in Hotaru's hand, while Koko fell on his side because he was concentrating too hard on Yuu and the president's thoughts jumped into his like a scream.

Half crouched, ready for anything, Natsume shifted his eyes to Ruka and Hotaru. "What the hell was that?"

"Mikan-san. I'm fine, really." Yuu's voice came out clear through the cell phone device along with the tremble and nervousness, not too mention the thread of fear in it

The four of them gaped as they watched a red faced Yuu fighting off a certain female's hand that was pulling his tie off.

"What's the big deal? You're feeling hot, aren't you? Just take off your tie and shirt and put it on later when we have to return to class. It's not like there's anyone here to see you." Mikan pulled on his tie and rolled her eyes, ignoring Yuu's attempt to free himself. "Sheesh, will you just stay still? I don't know why you suddenly turned shy. It's just me after all. We used to have sleep overs, remember?"

Yuu could actually feel sweat sliding over his back and he didn't need to be a certifiable genius to figure out that he was going to die in a sad and painful fashion by Natsume's hands.

Behind the bushes, three pairs of multi colored eyes slid over to Natsume who was emitting a dark deadly aura. Koko snickered at Yuu's thoughts, but before he can decide on whether to diffuse the situation or encourage it, Yuu took matters into his own hands.

Yuu blinked in rapid intervals. "But…but..that's because you were always worried when Natsume-san was out on missions, besides, Hotaru-san, Konoko-san, Anna-san and Sumire-san were also there."

Ruka grinned when Natsume mulled this over, found it innocent, and then lay back again . He gave Yuu a thumbs up when their president unobtrusively glanced their way. _Great save, Yuu._

Koko cackled madly when Yuu inwardly sent a prayer of thanks to God.

"Never mind about that, just get on with it." Hotaru ordered.

Yuu winced when the cool and toneless voice entered his ear, delivered by the device planted behind it. _Easy for you to say, you don't have the girl you have a crush on sitting so close to you that you can smell her shampoo._ Then as he realized that a mind reader was present, he conveyed a silent message to Koko,_ if you tell that to Natsume-san, I'm going to tell him that you once fell on Mikan's lap._

Koko paled and laughed nervously when Natsume shot a suspicious look towards him.

"This is exactly what I mean, Mikan-chan."

Yuu sighed when Mikan tilted her head to the side, her pigtails brushing her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"This. You shouldn't be sitting so close to me." He pried her tie from her fingers and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. "Or taking my tie off. Or telling me to take my shirt off.""Why not?"

"Because I'm a boy and you're a girl."

Mikan scrunched up her face in confusion. "But, we're friends." Her amber eyes suddenly widened, her expression turned brave yet sad. "I understand."

Yuu and the four people behind the bushes goggled in surprise. "You do?"

Koko, unable to read Mikan's mind because of her powers, turned towards the three people who knew her better than him. "She does?"

After a few seconds of looking down, Mikan finally lifted her eyes back to Yuu's. Her eyes were filled with tears, her sweet mouth, trembled, then as though she couldn't take it anymore, she brought her fist to her eyes and bawled.

"You don't-hic-want to be-hic-friends with me-hic anymore! WAAAAA!!!! I'm so saaaaaad!!!!"

Panicking at the sight of Mikan's tears, and Natsume's imminent wrath, he immediately waved his arms to attract her attention. "No. Mikan. No. No. _God._ That's not what I meant."

Her glistening eyes peeked from the back of her little fists and blinked cutely. "It's not?"

"No. Of course not." Yuu smiled and though it was a little bit wobbly, she didn't seem to mind because she dropped her hands from her face. Yuu sighed as he took in the girl in front of him. Big doe eyes almost the same shade as her soft, long hair. A pert nose and a sweet, small mouth. The cute stubborn chin and the petite build. The long and still skinny legs.

And when she beamed that big bright smile at him, Yuu almost forgot that there was a mind reader, her protective best friend, a jealous, possessive fire wielder and a second boy who has a crush on her that has the ability to send wolves to descend on him like the mighty wrath of God and better yet, make it look like an accident, ridding him of all guilt.

White petals from the tree above them fell onto her hair, making her look even more innocent. Big fat tears were sliding down smooth chubby cheeks and he wiped them with his clean handkerchief while she continued to look at him with her big brown eyes.

_That sempai is going straight to hell if he so much as think of doing anything to a girl as innocent as Mikan._

"So, you're still my friend?"

Weakened just by her smile especially her tears, Yuu nodded.

Then instantly regretted it when Mikan squealed and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

_Oh, man. I'm a dead man._

Koko nodded in agreement as he shifted his eyes to Ruka and Natsume who looked like one was made out of ice, the other of fire, staring straight at the love scene in front of him. _Yes, you're a dead man._

"You're my second best friend in the world and I _love _you."

_OH MY GOD. I'M GOING TO DIE!! _

_GOOD BYE CRUEL WORLD!!_

Koko moved away from the two boys who looked like they were going to stand up, tackle Yuu, kill him with their bare hands and eat his intestines.

And if that wasn't enough. Mikan beamed at him and kissed his cheek.

Yuu wracked his so called genius brain for a way out but found none so he did the most logical thing that he could think of.

He fainted.

Mikan panicked and tried to slap him awake.

Ruka got kicked in the face by Usagi-chan because apparently he was unconsciously strangling the little critter.

Natsume's manga was ashes in his hand and since it was new, it made him all the more pissed off.

Koko was torn between laughing and running for his life.

Only Hotaru stayed quietly in her place. Sighing in disappointment, she took out a computer thingy and deleted Yuu's name. "One down. Three to go." She aimed her violet eyes towards the three still conscious boys. "So, who's next?"

---

A/N:Who do you think should go next, Ruka or Koko?


	3. Dependent

**How It Is Always Natsume's Problem in the End Series-Talking About 'IT'**

**Chapter Two: Why Getting Too Dependent On Your Power Is Never Good **

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, storyline, yes.

A/N: Thanks minna-san for all the reviews. Anyway, there are questions about wouldn't it be better if her girl friends explain this to Mikan..well, the things is, even though how much a girl is experienced in flirting or em, seduction and all that, only guys really know what works and what doesn't, right? Besides, I grew up in a planned community like Mikan's where we go to this one school and we've known each other since babies and all of us live practically side by side, and funnily enough, it's guy friends that schools their girl friends on such matters as this, guy friends or brothers…

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Koko slid his eyes from side to side, eyes wild, pupils dilated, his breathing hard, his mind in a frenzy, sweat sliding down, cool against his heated skin.

_I should've known. I should've known. The damn girl has been known to create practically everything known to man, I should've known that she will have something that can stop me from reading their minds._

He should've realized that he would've been the next to be sacrificed, no way will Ruka will want to be next and give the choice of himself and Natsume, the choice was pretty much made for him.

_But how could I have known that angel face Ruka has the potential to be so sneaky and ruthless?_ How could he have predicted the extent of Ruka's unwillingness to discuss such a matter would push him to such extreme lengths?

For God's sake, Ruka ambushed him, tied him up and secured him on Bear-san's place, threatened him that if he so much as twitch, he will unleash Piyo on him.

_How could I have escape such a well planned and flawlessly executed trap?_

With his power, that's how. If only Ruka hadn't paid for the help of the evil master mind, Hotaru Imai.

He was warned that his arrogance and cockiness will be his downfall one day. But why did it have to be today?

"Koko? What is it?"

Amber eyes met his in gentle persuasion. Questioning, silently prodding. Lips curving with the sweetest smile in the whole academy.

One that brought two of the most eligible boys in their class, down to their knees.

Innocent, bright, pure.

And to some who actually had the nerve to sneak in past those two boys and approach her with anything remotely similar to romantic intentions; very, very deadly.

Koko has no problem talking to girls and he has no problem talking to girls about this kind of topic either.

But why did the girl have to be her?

The truth was, he adores Mikan. She's cute, funny, nice, and she genuinely cares about her friends and he consideres himself lucky to be one of them. Which is why he is sitting across from her, lips glued together, spine poker straight and a look of total dread on his face.

It wasn't a secret that he is probably the most tactless person in the whole wide world and it also didn't help that he cannot read her mind. Terrified that he will say the wrong thing or give her the wrong advice and end up as meat for Ruka's carnivores or Natsume's target practice or Hotaru's slave, he only saw one way out for him; total, unrelenting silence.

Mikan frowned. "Koko, are you okay?"

Koko nodded jerkily as he scalded his tongue with hot tea and stuffed his face with cookies.

He admitted that he'd been depending way too much on his Alice even when talking to his friends. Rather than reading their expressions and body language, he read their minds. Simpler and easier.

It's been a long time since he 'talk' with somebody.

"Ruka said, you have something you want to talk to me?"

_Damn Ruka to hell and back again!_

Koko shook his head, still stuffing his mouth with cookies.

Mikan pouted. "Well, that's odd. He said you have something to tell to me."

_I bet he did._ Koko swirled his eyes around the bushes and trees surrounding them, certain that the heinous three; Ruka, Natsume and Hotaru was there somewhere, watching him. Koko slapped the back of his neck when something stung him.

True enough, Koko's suspicion was correct. Ruka, Hotaru, Natsume was perched on tree right in front of him, a perfect place to watch Koko and hide from Mikan's eyes. But another person was with them, apparently Yuu was unconcious no more.

Ruka swept some leaves that covered his view. "What is he doing?"

Natsume leaned on the bark above the three of them, one of his boot clad feet hanging down. "Obviously, he's not doing anything."

Hotaru slid icey violet eyes to the side. "Maybe he fainted too, like Yuu did."

A disgruntled Yuu shoved his glasses up. "Will you guys lay off?"

Ruka smirked. "I'm surprise you didn't get a nosebleed."

Yuu glared at Ruka.

Natsume sneered. "Oooh, our class president is angry."

Ruka tucked his tongue in his cheek. "You fainted in a very manly way, Yuu."

Hotaru snorted, but she observed the usually very girly boy from the corner of her eyes. The three of them were pretty surprised when Yuu came up to them, the two top buttons of his shirt loose, his ribbon lodged in his pocket, his hair messy from his hands but what surprised the most was the harassed and slightly pissed off look on his chubby and usually amiable face. It made them changed their prespective of him.

"Okay. " Hotaru took out a slim panda laptop from her pocket. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Well, obviously, he's not talking. What can we do about it?" Ruka snapped his eyebrows together when he saw something on Hotaru's laptop.

"We can do lots about it. Like _this_." Hotaru pressed a button and the three boys jerked on their seats when Koko suddenly yelped and fell from his chair.

Natsume blinked as he watched Mikan helped Koko stand and sit back on his chair then hovered worriedly around the mind reader. "Imai, what the hell did you do?"

The rapid click of her typing slowed. "Just a thing I've been working on."

Ruka sneaked a peek at the monitor but she covered it. "Which is?"

"Something you have no business in knowing."

Yuu snorted. "Probably something she has no business in making."

Hotaru ignored the three boys and kept typing. She picked up her panda cellphone. "Koko, we're watching you. That shock you felt, was only the beginning, if you don't start talking now..well, you'll see."

The three boys with her sweat dropped when Koko paled.

"How did you do that, anyway?" Yuu asked then panickly peeled off the adhesive ear piece on the back of his ear. "It's this, isn't it?"

Hotaru sent him a glance that clearly told them that she is questioning Yuu's intelligence. "Of course not. It's something else."

Natsume lifted a brow. "When did you have a chance to put something on him?"

Hotaru merely smiled.

Natsume leaned back on the bark. "I don't know why you're not in dangerous ability class, Imai. You'll fit right in."

Hotaru's eyes gleamed. "Thank you, Hyuuga."

Koko squeezed sweat from the napkin in his hand. "You know how there are bad people and good people in the world, Mikan?"

Mikan nodded.

"Well, boys are like that, some are good and some are bad."

Koko shifted on his seat, the shock that ran down his body made his skin tingle and the left side of his head pulsing. He rubbed the back of his neck that was itching like hell, suddenly suspicious that it was all Hotaru's doing.

Mikan tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there are boys that will want something from you and they will not care how they get it as long as they get it."

"Hey, no fair. That's what I said." Yuu protested.

THWACK!!

"Shut up, Tobita."

Yuu grumbled and held his aching nose. Ruka grimaced. Natsume snickered.

"What do you mean by something?"

Koko winced, if it was any other girl, he is certain that he can explain these things without any hitch whatsoever. After all, he explained it to Sumire and Konoko when they approached him because with their questions after the sex-ed, but they were different than Mikan who is way to…well…she's just too…childlike.

Koko gulped down tea and waved his hands around. "Something, you know…stuffs."

"Like rabbits? Candy?"

"No. Uh, nothing harmless like that..though they're probably will be some that…" Koko rolled his eyes to the heavens. _A little help here_. _I am doing something good, after all. She is one of your purest lambs, can't you help me out? _" What I mean by stuffs are..hm, they will probably want to _hold_ your hand or _hug_ you." He sent Mikan a meaningful glance but Mikan merely blinked.

"If they want, they can just ask. I'll be happy to hug and hold their hand."

Mikan beamed at him and Koko was assaulted by holy light. Any minute now, he was sure that the heavens will part and choirs of angels will sing Mikan's name.

Restraining the urge to bang his head on the iron table, he pulled on his hair. "That's what I'm talking about, Mikan. You shouldn't do that anymore."

Mikan's amber eyes blinked slowly. "Do what?"

"Hug or hold any boy's hands."

"Why not?"

"Because they'll think you have special feelings for them."

"Special feelings?"

"Yes. They'll think you either like them or love them."

"But I do like and love the people that I hug."

Koko sighed, _of course you do, you sweet, sweet, girl._ "It's just that, remember the..special class that we had this morning?"

Mikan blinked rapidly as a flush climbed up to her cheeks from inside her collar and she squeaked out a 'yes'.

"Now, things like that..do you know what I mean by that?"

She made a high keening sound.

Koko nodded, starting to feel confident about the topic and he watched Mikan's reaction; a little flushed but surprisingly, she seems calm enough. _I don't know why Hotaru said it was difficult_. "Yeah, things like that actually can start with holding hands and hugs."

Mikan's eyes widened. "It can?"

"Well, yes. Because to us boys, that means you are also interested in us and that you will not mind if we…do things."

"But..but…how about my friends? Can't I hug my friends? How about Yuu?"

Koko smirked. "Well, yes, he's okay."

"Ruka-pyon?"

Koko slid his eyes towards the tree that was suddenly moving too much. _Aha_. Koko scrunched up his face and put a finger on his chin in a thinking pose. "Ruka, huh? Let me see…"

Back at the tree, Hotaru was wrestling her laptop and cellphone away from Ruka who just knew Koko was up to no good. Yuu was watching in amusement while Natsume was egging his best friend on, until; THWACK!

"Hands off the merchandise. Do _not_ make me tell you again."

Ruka was hanging from Natsume's hold since the force of Hotaru's baka swatter pushed him off his branch.

Koko can hear the angry whispers through his earpiece and smirked. "Well, yeah, I guess, he's okay. Ruka doesn't have the guts to do anything, anyway." He bit on a cookie when Ruka's face popped out of leaves and shook his fist at him before disappearing back so fast like he was grabbed.

Mikan's head snapped up and she looked around.

"What is it, Mikan?"

"Ano…I thought I heard Hotaru's baka swatter..." She shrugged. "Maybe it's just my imagination… is that tree moving?"

Koko pursed his lips. "Monkeys. Lots and lots of monkeys."

"What if she saw you, baka?" Hotaru put away her baka swatter. Ruka was once again hanging from Natsume's hold. Yuu smirked.

"Ruka, if she swats you one more time, you're on your own. Now, sit down and behave yourself." Natsume swung back to his branch.

Grumbling, Ruka did what he was told and sulked.

"How about Natsume-kun?"

Koko's tea cup paused in the air as he thought this over. He's also surprise that Mikan actually bothered to ask him this. How much of a pervert does Natsume has to be for this girl not to trust Natsume, anyway? Since his tea cup is mysteriously starting to heat up, he put it down. "What do you think?"

Mikan blinked a little anxiously. "Well, he is my friend and he's not as bad as he once was. He's still rude and a pervert..." Mikan looked up when Koko chortled but he waved a hand, telling her to continue. "..and he can be so annoying, irritating and a pain…" She looked up again when Koko started to fan himself as if he was hot but again he waved a hand at her. _Trust Natsume to get mad at me and not at her. _"…but he's still my friend."

"So? Do you think that it's okay for you to hug and hold his hand?"

"..he's pretty much seen all of my underwear. Half our time together we spend on dragging each other to wherever we both want to go. He's already touched me pretty much everywhere especially since I' m also training with him, and he's already kissed me…"

Koko coughed tea onto the table. "Wait a minute. What? What? Natsume kissed you? When did this happen and how come I don't know about it?"

Ruka tilted his head up. "Yeah, what he said."

Natsume kept his manga in front of his face to deflect Hotaru's, Yuu's and Ruka's interrogative looks. "It was at the dance, when she tripped and we accidently kissed. It was a year ago, geez. Get over it."

"A year ago, after the dance where I tripped and we accidently kissed."

Koko goggled.

Hotaru quirked an eyebrow at Natsume who finally let go of his manga and glared at them. "What's the big deal? You kissed her, _before_ I did and you didn't tell me about it." He accused Ruka who sputtered.

Koko who heard their discussion from Hotaru's cellphone spitted out the cookie he was munching on, as a result he was bonked on the head by Bear-san with his broom stik for messing up his table. Hardly feeling the lump on his head so surprise was he, he stared at Mikan. "Did Ruka kissed you, too?

"Oh, yes. And Yoichi too."

Natsume threw his hands in the air as Koko's question came out of the speaker. "Yoichi kissed her too?"

"On the _cheek_. We kissed her on the _cheek_."

"Well, I don't know why you're getting your panties in a twist. I kissed her on the cheek, too."

Yuu and Hotaru watched Ruka's flaming face and Natsume's harassed one in interest.

Koko squinted at Mikan. "Where did they kiss you?"

"Well, Ruka and Yoichi on the cheek. Natsume on the lips."

"You liar!" Ruka tilted his head up again but blinked when Natsume wasn't there. "God, I hate it when he does that."

Hotaru smirked when Ruka shimmied down the tree in chase of Natsume. Yuu chortled in glee.

"Natsume! Come back here, you liar!"

Mikan looked around. "That sounds like Ruka."

Koko took a big bite out of a chocolate chip cookie. "It sure does. Anyway, so, even after he, well, they kissed you, you still think it's okay for you to hug them?"

"Well, I'm sure they didn't mean anything, you know. It's like a sign of affection, just like holding hands. Though in Natsume's case, I think he was just curious. I kiss Hotaru and Jii-chan all the time and I just kissed Yuu this morning."

Koko scratched his head as he looked at the beaming face of Mikan. "Well, yeah, Hotaru and your Jii-chan is okay. But from now on, no other boys, okay?"

"Even my friends?"

"Yes, even your friends." Koko blinked as he realized that this particular advice is no good. "Unless you want too…" He stopped because he realized that this advice isn't good either.

"Hm, unless you want that boy to be your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes, a boy that you really, really, really like and you want to be with him forever and ever."

Mikan bats those big eyes of hers. "You mean like Tsubasa-sempai?"

Koko choked. "NO!! NOT HIM!" _Man, Natsume's going to kill me, chop me up and feed pieces of me to wild dogs._

"A boy that you love, that you want to marry someday..and have many, many babies with."

"Oh. Okay. But why?"

Koko moaned inwardly. _Come on brain, think!_

"Because, because, what if the boy that you will marry someday is here, and actually knows and likes you but he sees you hugging and kissing other guys, you'll break his heart.."

The look on Mikan's face was horrified because, typically of her, even hurting a hypothetical someone is unthinkable. "But, but I didn't mean, too, and it's not like that."

"Ah, but he doesn't know that, does he? He'll just think that you are in love with somebody else and he'll be sad…" Busy with his own web of lies, he didn't catch the tremble in Mikan's lips and the glistening in her eyes.

"…And then _dies_ of a broken heart….I'm so meaaaaan. I'm a _bad..bad_ person." She bawled. "Jii-chan, I'm so sorry that I've _shamed_ you. I'm sorry Koko, you have to be friends with someone like me…."

Before Koko had the chance to stop her, Mikan stood and ran away, face drenched with tears, bawling about how a bad person she is for hugging and kissing other boys.

Hotaru pinched the bridge of her nose. Yuu mused. "Where did he go wrong I wonder? It started out all right."

Hotaru slid icy violet eyes that silence Yuu, one finger deliberately pressing a key on her laptop.

Yuu winced when Koko's scream of complete agony filled the air on top of Mikan's fading cries.


	4. Ruka's Bad Day

**How It Is Always Natsume's Problem in the End Series-Talking About 'IT'**

**Chapter Two: Ruka's Bad Day **

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, storyline, yes.

A/n: Thanks for all the reviews guys. You guys are awesome.

------

Ruka is having a bad day.

Although it didn't start off as one. In fact, the day showed so much promised. Even Natsume, who is usually grouchy in the mornings and snaps at everybody who dares to even look at him behaved himself.

Which is probably why he should have guess that it would turn out like this, the smile on Hotaru's face as she called in the meeting was another sign. But, like the gullible boy that he is, he walked into her trap with his eyes wide open.

So here he was, stuck to his seat behind the stables suffering from a nauseating sensation that he'd learn to associate with his dealings with Hotaru Imai.

He cursed the day that Hotaru Imai came into the academy. Of course if she didn't, a certain amber eyed honey blond girl wouldn't have too and that would have been a damn shame. But that didn't stop him from glaring at the bushes where he knew his archenemy was currently residing and taping his impending doom as she counted how many rabbits she can procure by this newest attempt to chip at his dissipating dignity.

Yuu and Koko blinked at the Natsume-like glare on Ruka's face from behind the tangle of bushes that hid their presence.

"Amazing."

"It's always the quiet ones."

Natsume shifted his eyes from the manga to the two boys who were nursing various injuries on their bodies. Yuu was sporting an impressive shiner on his left eye while Koko's hands and face were decorated with angry scratches.

"Man's he's pissed." Natsume leaned his elbows on his thighs and observed the demonic aura that vibrated from his best friend, he shrugged. "Ruka has the right to be just as mean as the next person."

Yuu gave a look that simply said 'are you kidding me?'. "Yeah, but since the next person happens to be you and Hotaru-san, he's bordering on psychotic."

Natsume lifted his manga to cover his sniggers which Koko responded with a frustrated look. Apparently their current problem is bringing out a lot of unusual behavior and sides to the boys much to Hotaru's delight. "Easy for you to laugh. He yelled at you, sure but the more he got pissed at _you_, the harder he hit _us_. Ruka packs quite a wallop you know."

Yuu pressed an ice pack to his left eye. "Lucky for us we got Hotaru-san on our side or we'd never got him here."

Natsume gave Yuu a measured look. "Funny how you're suddenly so game, class president."

Yuu narrowed his gentle eyes, sunlight catching on his glasses. "If I'm going down I'm taking every body with me."

Natsume chuckled, appreciating the sentiment. "But seriously, to kidnap Usagi and then send him a hat made out of rabbit fur. Was that really necessary?" Natsume tried to look disapproving, but his mouth kept twitching. "The look on his face, you guys nearly broke him."

Koko shrugged. "Don't blame us. That's Hotaru's idea."

Yuu pursed his lips, remembering the true agony on Ruka's face. "Though I have to admit it was pretty brutal."

Natsume slanted red eyes to the girl in question. "Vindictive bitch."

Hotaru merely raised an impassive eyebrow. "I don't see you coming out with any good ideas so shut up and watch."

"But are you really sure tthat you want Ruka to talk to Mikan? I mean he can barely say good morning to her without BS-ing." Koko asked dubiously.

Natsume who can honestly say that Ruka is no mouth flapper, frowned. "I've never heard Ruka say any bullshit. Explain."

Yuu laughed. "No. No. Not bullshit. Blushing and stuttering. BS, see?"

Natsume snorted. "Good one."

Hotaru got out her supplies out of her panda bag and the boys watched it warily, they haven't discovered how such a small bag can carry so much. "Of course not, I'm not stupid."

Natsume shrugged away the insult towards his best friend, something he would never do if it wasn't Hotaru. "So?"

"Nogi's job is to do several directives that I've told him earlier."

"To what point?"

"So you will have a clear picture of what you will talk to her later on."

Natsume slid his eyes to the girl and sneered. "Getting ahead of ourselves, are we? Who says I'm going talk to her?"

Hotaru clicked open her slim panda laptop. "I did."

Koko and Yuu nudged each other and grinned at them. Any argument between Hotaru and Natsume is bound to be interesting.

"And why should I talk to her?"

"Because I'm asking you to."

"And why should I follow anything you say?"

This time it was Hotaru who slid her eyes to him, a sneaky look was on her face as if she was waiting for this question. She didn't disappoint him. "Because you like her."

_Damn, I walked right into that one, didn't I?_

Natsume merely blinked when Koko chuckled and nodded to him in answer.

"And who says I like her?"

This time, Hotaru wasn't the only one who answered. Ruka, Yuu and Koko joined in. Ruka's voice crackled from the cellphone she was holding. "We do."

Natsume frowned and crossed his arms stubbornly. Hotaru eyed him. They eyed each other.

"Are you still not convinced that she needs this?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "I don't see what the big deal is. So yeah, she's got an fifteen year old guy hitting on her, so what? Tell me who it is and I'll.." He saw the three pair of eyes eyeing him suspiciously but ignored it. "..talk to him and he'll go away. Case closed."

This time it was Ruka who protested. "Sure, until the next one comes along. Besides, I don't know what you bitching about, I'm the one who is about to get sacrificed, aren't I? If I have to talk to her, so will you...under supervision. You're just as hentai as that sempai."

Koko smothered his grinned but Yuu had a far away look on his eyes. "You know, we've never really made sure that the sempai is sempai. Perhaps he really likes her."

Natsume brooded, somehow, that didn't make him feel better.

"He's fifteen. Hitting on an eleven year old. He's hentai." Ruka brushed off Yuu's defense of the sempai.

"He's just as hentai as that shadow freak Andou." Natsume pointed out.

"I think Andou sempai is nice." Yuu joined in and leaned back from the nasty stare from Natsume's face. For an honor student, he sure can be dumb sometimes.

Never missing a beat or a trick, Hotaru tucked her tongue in her cheek. "I agree with Yuu. Andou is nice enough, at the very least he always helps Mikan out and unlike other boys his age or not, he can be quite sweet about it. He even offered to help but I thought that you guys would be enough but apparently I was mistaken. Andou is fifteen and Mikan trusts him without a fault, and being older he probably knows more about guys preversion better than you guys and since he cares so much for Mikan, he'll probably beg me so he can help on giving advice to her." Deliberately ignoring the gagging and choking noises from the boys and Natsume's killer glare, she moved in for the kill. "Perhaps he'll even show her how guys will act and how she can avoid it, I mean from the rumours, Andou is quite a player..."

"Fine. Fine. I'll do it." Natsume hissed through his teeth as he pressed his fingers to his eyes, trying to make images of Andou and Mikan together disappear from the back of his eyelids.

Hotaru allowed a satisfied smile softened her smile. "Good." Her eyes shifted to her laptop and she lifted the cellphone. "She's coming. Get ready, Nogi."

A miserable groan cracked from the cellphone.

----------

A/N: I know. I know. It's short. Midterms...nuff said. Ruka's going to be fun though...to be continue...


	5. Ruka's Bad Day Part II

**How It Is Always Natsume's Problem in the End Series-Talking About 'IT'**

**Chapter Two: Ruka's Bad Day Part II**

Disclaimer: Characters not mine, storyline, yes.

A/n: Thanks for all the reviews guys. You guys are awesome.

------

Three boys and a girl observed the scene in front of them and shook their heads as one by one offered comments.

"Pathetic."

"Wimp."

"….."

"Idiotic."

They continued to watch as Ruka blinked dazedly at the girl who beamed brightly at him, entertaining her with little tidbits about her day. He jerked sharply to attention when her eyes that were on Usagi just a minute ago returned to him. The sun caught the subtle gold in her hair and eyes making her glow with her every move.

Her cheeks were attractively pink and she smelled like green apples. When she smiled at him and asked how his day went, he stuttered.

If talking to Mikan in every day occasions is hard for Ruka, talking to her while having three other boys and an evil girl that is the bane of his existence listening in was damn near impossible. Especially with the way they insisted on giving little derogatory comments and critiques every time he opened his mouth.

Yuu scrunched up his face. "Did you hear that? What did he say?"

"I think it was 'ahguhbuddeteidid'." Natsume smirked good naturedly, if one can call the act of smirking, good natured. Hotaru scoffed. "Like you do any better, Hyuuga."

Koko cackled and wiggled his eyebrows. "Yeah, Natsume."

Offended, Natsume looked down his straight perfect nose at them. "What are you talking about? I _never_ stutter."

"No." Yuu agreed amiably then smiled. "But you grunt."

Natsume blinked when the mind reader batted his eyelashes and pitched his voice in an uncannily freaky mimicry of mikan's. "Natsume-kun, can we go to Central Town?"

Yuu grinned when Koko scowled; snapping his brows together in a menacing V, his hands lifted in front of him as though he was holding a book to his face, after a few silent seconds, he grunted.

His hands gesturing towards Koko, Yuu aimed his lecture face at them. "That, by the way, means no."

Hotaru's lips twitched when Koko continued to bat his lashes again. "Can we go to your room and make out?" Koko continued his one man comedy with a scowl and a quirked eyebrow. After a while, he grunted.

Once again, Yuu pointed at Koko. "That, means yes."

Koko maintained the scowl and grunted lower. "Me Tarzan. You Jane."

He sent Yuu to peels of muffled laughter with a bit more acts and grunts until…THHHWACK!

Yuu rubbed his face to get rid of the dirt since he landed face first on the ground while Koko groaned in pain, holding his newly decorated check marked face. "Hey." He protested when he saw it was Natsume and not Hotaru who hit him though when he thought about it, it made perfect sense. Who else would have been able to swat them both at the same time? "How come he gets to borrow it?"

"He didn't."

Natsume smirked. "I brought my own. Just incase."

"No fair." Both of them sulked but were back to business when they were ignored. Yuu winced when Ruka slammed into a wall because he was so busy staring at mikan. "He's going to kill himself if he continues like this…itai." Koko slapped a hand at the back of his neck than whipped his head towards Hotaru. "Hotaru, you didn't put that thing in me again, did you?" Hotaru's hand didn't even pause in her typing. "Of course not. Why should I do that? Hardly seems necessary and a waste of good product."

Koko assumed a mock thinking face. "I don't know. Because you're... you?"

Natsume snickered at Koko's quick answer.

Yuu however hit his uncovered thigh with a grimace. "It's these mosquitoes."

"Ants."

"Flies."

Hotaru frowned and got a can of bug spray from her bag of goodies. Then set her flinty eyes towards the blond boy through the small opening of bushes. "Pull them back or they die, Nogi."

They heard Ruka mumbled something under his breath and they watched as the group of numerous insects fall back. Hotaru maybe a sneaky ice queen but even Natsume have to admit that she gets result and she gets them quickly.

"Anyway." Natsume winced when he saw Ruka caught his hand at one of the stable doors. "What are these directives that you gave Ruka to do?"

Hotaru was once again busy with her laptop but paused long enough to toss a book at their direction. Yuu goggled at the book on his hand and goggled even more when Hotaru hit the off button on her cell, making Ruka deaf and dumb to their sceaming.

Koko pressed a hand against his opened mouth while he looked at Ruka almost pityingly that curiosity got the better of Natsume. "What?"

Lips trembling, Yuu lifted the book and long red eyes zipped through the title and widened. There, written in clear block letters were 'make a move on your girl for dummies'. They stared at Hotaru who calmly lifted an eyebrow.

"Imai, are you serious?"

"Do I not look serious?"

Natsume narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the violet haired mastermind while the two other boys flipped through the book, still in shock. Their eyes bugged out every time they turned a new page.

Natsume sucked in a breath in startling realization. "You didn't tell him what they're for, did you? You only told him to do it but didn't explain why."

"If I did that would defeat the purpose, won't it? Ruka is not the best of actors after all."

Koko snorted at a particular page. "Aw, come on. These are so lame, even Mikan won't fall for this."

Violet eyes sneaked towards the. "Wanna bet?"

Yuu shook his head. "Hotaru-san. I agree with Koko. Mikan.."

Hotaru sighed. "Obviously you guys underestimate Mikan's ability to be perfectly stupid."

The boys caught themselves wondering for the nth time, why these two girls could ever be friends.

"Watch." Hotaru told them as she pressed the on botton on her cell. "Nogi. Drop something."

They saw Ruka jolted in surprise at Hotaru's voice in his ear but fortunately it was unnoticed by Mikan.

"Nogi. Drop something. Now."

Already jumpy, the urgency in Hotaru's voice only made him more nervous. Panicking, he picked up a brush from the horses' stable and... threw it.

Hands smacked on foreheads at Ruka's pathetic attempt on trickery but Mikan merely looked at the brush curiously as it bounced and rolled on the grass before turning back to Ruka. "What's wrong?"

Koko and Yuu was clutching at each other, their bodies shaking with muffled laughter while Natsume sighed.

Hotaru's eyebrow ticked. "Idiot. I said drop something. Not throw. Tell her, it was a bee."

Desperate, Ruka squeaked out. "Bee."

Mikan beamed. "Oh." She patted the boy's shoulder. "I'll get it Ruka-pyon."

Elbows on his thighs, Natsume leaned forward to get a better look. " I don't see why this is..." His words faltered as Mikan blithefully bounced towards the brush, turned and bent over the waist, flashing her candy cane printed panties for all the world to see.

THWACK!!

SMACK!!

"Holy...Hotaru!" Koko hissed harshly as lifted himself off the ground and spit dirt out of his mouth, all the while glaring at the girl.

"Natsume-san. You didn't have to smack me in the face like that. You should've just ask me to close my eyes." Yuu protested, his face was decorated with a clear print of Natsume's palm, his glasses askewed, hanging from one ear.

Natsume gave him a cool look. "If you closed your eyes in the first place I wouldn't have to hit you, do I?"

Yuu and Koko grumbled at the unfairness of it all. Natsume merely scowled at Hotaru. " Fine. I get it."

Hotaru lifted her cell. "Start now, Ruka."

Ruka gulped. his face flaming with embarrasment as he heard the disgruntled whispers and figured out what he just did.

_Damn you, Hotaru!!!_

He glared mutinously at the bush, refusing to do what he was ordered to.

Natsume lifted a brow. "Seems he's not going to do it Imai."

Hotaru scoffed. "We'll see about that."

Mikan who was busy crooning at the horses shifted her amber eyes to Ruka when she heard his shock gasp and the expression on his face showed that he was indeed completely shocked. What she didn't see, because she was standing with her back to the now noisy bush, was that a hand had miraculously appeared through said bush and it was holding a white snow rabbit by the ear, the rabbit dangled helplessly with a pityful look on its face.

"See, Usagi? Obviously he doesn't love you enough to save you if he's not willing to do this tiny teeny thing..."

The boys watched as Ruka's face crumpled and bowed in defeat, when Usagi pointed accusingly at him, its beady eyes flashing in fury.

Natsume shook his head when Usagi jumped back into their hideout and high fived Hotaru. "Evil."

Yuu and Koko nodded in agreement while they stared at Usagi. "Spawn of evil."

Ignoring them, Hotaru spoke again into the cell. "Commence operation pervert."

The boys whipped their heads toward the pair, smirking with excitement.


	6. Enlightening Theories

How It Is Always Natsume's Problem in the End

Chapter Five: Enlightening Theories

A/N: This chapter will turn into a more serious note at the end. And for all you people who hounded me for a chapter, thank you for showing that you care. (sucking up so I don't get kicked in the ass).

--------------------------------

Ruka blinked.

And blinked.

And blinked again, feeling like a complete idiot.

When he heard disbelief snorts and disgusted groans he searched his brain for why should him blinking bring such an extreme reaction from the guys.

Koko stared unbelievingly. "Oh, please. Are you serious?"

Yuu shook his head in disbelief, not taking his eyes from the pair infront of them. "Tell me he's not doing what I think he is."

Natsume stifled a smile. "Oh, I think he is."

"Watch and shut up."

_What are they talking about?_ Ruka blinked much faster, trying to catch Mikan's attention.

Koko chortled. "Dude, it looks like he's trying to fly with his eyelashes."

Yuu giggled. "Or you know. Trying to do morse code."

Natsume pursed his lips. "He's saying; Help, I've gone stupid."

Koko and Yuu laughed into their fists when Hotaru sneaked an ice cold look without turning away from her laptop.

Finally, when Ruka felt as if he exhausted his eye muscles, Mikan stopped chirping about the tail of a pony and noticed his odd behavior. "What's wrong, Ruka?"

With an almost vulgar relief, Ruka rubbed his eyes and ignoring the snorts and chortles from his cohorts, said plainly and woodenly. "I have something in my eye."

"He did not just say that."

"He actually went through with it."

"Yeah, considering how baka she is, she'll probably believe it."

"She'll believe it."

And right enough, Mikan coo-ed over him and hurriedly held out a tissue which Ruka grabbed, his face red with confusion over why the guys were making such a big deal of it. He was only blinking. He patted his eyes with the tissue, still wondering on his friends reactions...and almost got a heart attack when Mikan's face hovered inches from his. Her soft warm hands were placed on his cheeks, turning him in his seat. As if that wasn't torturing enough, she stood up, stepped between his legs and tilted his face up to hers. "Let me take a look at it."

"You tricky bastard, Ruka."

"You dog you."

"Never knew you had it in you."

"Keep it up, Nogi."

The whispered comments on his ears combined with the effect of her proximity did nothing good for his composure and his reddening face. His palms started to sweat, his face too. Mikan wrinkled her button nose. "Ruka, are you okay? You're face is all red, and your face is all clammy. I think you should see a doctor."

"I'm fine." He hurriedly said, his voice squeaky and trembling and when he took a deep breath, he was assaulted by the fresh sweet smell that was all Mikan. He tried a quick last attempt for logic but his brain failed him. He jerked nervously when the lips that he was staring at, moved.

"Ruka?"

As any other male that was inflicted with rampaging teenage hormones when faced with their heart's desire, Ruka's ample intelligence dropped multiple points. Koko and Yuu sneered at the dazed look on Ruka's face. "Huh?"

Ruka's heart clenched, a shiver ran through his spine when Mikan laughed, and his blue eyes drank the image of her laughing like it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and for a moment, he forgot all about his friends watching, forgot all about Natsume, forgot all about what he was suppose to do. All there was for him that precise second was her laughing face.

When he came to, it was with a wince and a pinchy face. _This is going to be a looong day._

Yuu glanced at Hotaru who was observing Mikan and Ruka like guinea pigs. "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Hotaru merely lifted the book again, not bothering to waste time on an explanation.

Koko snickered as they watched Ruka grimace and held his belly, resulting in Mikan manhandling him to lie on her lap.

"Why didn't you tell me to do this?" Demanded Koko who met with Hotaru's icy stare and Natsume's heated ones. "I'll shut up now."

Ruka felt like he was in paradise and hell at the same time, with her lap under his head, her small fingers rubbing his stomach the way 'jii-chan always does' when she had a 'tummy ache'. Rather than making it all better, Ruka's stomach churned all too uncomfortably with new sensations that was both embarrassing and dangerous.

He had a sudden urge to do something with his hands but he didn't know what so he clamped it across his chest in an oddly defensive gesture.

When she looked down at him, goosebumps ran up and down his skin when the edges of her hair grazed his skin. "How are you feeling?"

"Horny."

Chuckles and snorts followed Natsume's dry comment, the latter no longer finding this funny. Not because he was jealous, well not much, but because he started to get what Hotaru was rambling on and on about. He could just picture Mikan obliviously doing the same thing with the sempai in question.

It was not to be borne.

"Did you see that?" He jerked an elbow towards Natsume whose glare and dark mood were ignored for the more interesting display of Ruka's vitals on Hotaru's laptop. "His heart hitched."

"If this goes on any longer, I think Ruka's in danger of a heart attack." Koko tilted his head at the frantic sounds that Ruka was making in his mind. "At the very least brain dead. He's not making any sense! Not even in his mind."

_Hands. Soft. No. Not THERE!!!_

Koko pursed his lips. "Well, I understood that but everything else is gibberish."

Two hours later

Natsume eyed the pair that was rolling on the ground.

No, not Ruka and Mikan but Yuu and Koko who were laughing like mad men over another of Ruka's endevour. This time it was not one of Hotaru's mad but ingenious ideas but Ruka's own clumsiness in managing to bump his head painfully on the edge of one of the stable's window shutters, resulting in Mikan's hugging his head, his face smooshed against his stomach while she rubbed his head, muttering nonsense.

Sure it was funny, Ruka's waving her aside, saying that he's okay with tears in his eyes and with Mikan's stubborn and caring nature, they ended up wrestling each other, Ruka who had more than he can handle trying to get away and Mikan trying to take care of him. It was funny to see Ruka's moist face, twitching with nerves, his hands hung lifeless by his sides because again he did not know what to do with it.

But to Natsume, it was...she would never do that to him. Be like that with him. They've been much closer than before and he knew she trusts him with her life but...there was just something that was different when she was with Ruka and when she was with him.

Hotaru watched Natsume jerked awake from his thoughts when he caught Mikan's sweet voice, raised in a gentle lullaby.

"She's singing." Koko raised himself on his elbows. Yuu followed and they listened to the subtle, whispery melody. Mikan sang in a clear sopran about dreams and fairy tales, all the while gently stroking Ruka's golden head that had surprisingly long fell asleep.

Hotaru observed Natsume's blank face, only his eyes held his emotions, tumultous and stormy. And when he slipped away, unnoticed by the two boys, she wondered whether her plan was backfiring on her.

After all, fire is a very volatile and unpredictable element.


End file.
